Reactivity Factor
by UpontheThrone
Summary: A machine formerly without will is given the choice to do as it wants, but will the world around it give it the chance to amend for crimes it never comitted?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER**; I do not own, nor am I in any way affiliated with Sega, Sonic Team, Sonic the HedgeHog, Archie Comics, or any other connected affiliates, nor do I claim to be. This story is not made to garner profit, only for the enjoyment of both reader and writer.

* * *

We look now upon ruins, a wreckage of a world from the past. A world that failed to survive, and has fallen. Except, these aren't those kind of ruins. They are the ruins of a factory, a world that is the present, and the possible future. A testament to mankind's ability, although, in its current state, it would appear as more of a testament to their ineptitude.

But mankind as a whole had nothing to do with this place. But a single man, Doctor Ivo Robotnik, was responsible for its existence. This factory was built to, simply and bluntly, build his robots. Many of the facilities Robotnik built were designed to multitask. They could act as assembly lines, fortresses, and gauntlets on a moment's notice. This, to him, was a necessity, as his enemies were swift, powerful, and plentiful enough to be a constant nuisance, a thorn in his side he couldn't ignore in any endeavor. Everything he did took them into mind, and accommodated towards them the best he could.

But who were his enemies? They are too numerous to name all at once, but the three most prominent ones were;

Sonic the Hedgehog, a blue hedgehog that could move at incredible speeds. The hedgehog would boast that he could move at the speed of sound, but Robotnik already knew this to be false. He tested it. Still, he was much faster than any other living being, and was an evolutionary oddity. The Doctor was still perplexed by the fact that he was blue, not being a common color in the natural world, let alone mammals. Also, Sonic was the one who came up with Ivo's "Eggman" moniker. This insult to his physique created even more reason for the Doctor to want him dead. The hedgehog had only one notable weakness that made a difference, an inability to swim. Robotnik was always looking for ways to use this to his advantage.

Miles "Tails" Prower, a two-tailed fox that, somehow, could defy all logic and spin his tails endlessly without something horrific happening. He spun his tails, mainly, to gain speed on the ground by using them like a turbine, or using them to fly. These abilities were direct take-that's to any laws Robotnik knew that said it was impossible. Ironically enough, Miles was one of the most intelligent of his enemies, making him the one most likely to realize how impossible he was. The eight year old fox was a genius inventor, close to the Doctor's level. Not close enough to make the greatest difference, however. The fox would have a great future, if Robotnik didn't have anything to say about.

And, finally, Knuckles the Echidna. Supposedly the last of his race, he was incredibly strong. He could punch through walls and Robotnik's machines with the greatest of ease. The abnormal strength was intriguing, but dismissible. The Doctor could replicate this easily, and, as the last of his race, Robotnik had no way of knowing if he was an oddity, or the norm. There was no control subject, so any desire the doctor had to study him was inexistent. Desires to experiment on him were purely so Ivo could torture him. The Echidna was also a hermit. He had lived on a floating island, Angel Island to be exact, his entire life. This made the Echidna gullible, very gullible indeed. Robotnik had tricked him into helping him multiple times. Still, regardless of all the reasons that Ivo had to say he was pointless, he always managed to become a greater nuisance than he theoretically was.

And these were only the first three. There were many others, all as interesting as the aforementioned trio. The reason the doctor was so good at making enemies, was because he was, technically, an alien invader. He had come to planet Mobius, having affirmed that the societies weren't advanced enough to stop his domination. However, the Mobian people were crafty. And were surprisingly adept at thwarting him. Granted, Robotnik successfully had gotten an entire planet against him, he would expect no less resistance wise.

This was the reason his facilities were built to be all, and end all. The only chance his bases had of standing after they invaded was to be ready. Because of this, the Doctor was always looking for prime locations, places the Mobians couldn't invade. This was the idea behind the factory we look upon now, the Reactive Factory. Somewhere along the line, his plan failed, but why? He had built this place in the middle of the ocean, atop a coral reef, and there was water everywhere. A lot of water. This succeeded in keeping Sonic away, but he knew that once the annoying little animals discovered this place, others would attack. So the place was built in the most insane and confusing way possible, reaching a point where it almost looked like a racetrack. The exact kind of environment Sonic could excel in, but the others could not. And, as a final measure, the factory was made to be its namesake; Reactive. It was filled to the brim with Artificial Intelligence, and would change the physical state of the factory to accommodate any threat. Did you run through an empty corridor before, than came back later? Now it's a dead end. Did you finally hack the system to unlock a door, and now head to the doorway? Now there's a different door, try again.

Then, he created a robot, one that at the time, he was convinced was the greatest idea he ever had. It was built in the image of Knuckles the Echidna, and had strength that, if not greater, matched the originals. The machine was also made with a jet engine, and the frame was made to accommodate and lend itself to incredible speeds, and flight. At the time of creation, he considered it an amalgam of his three greatest enemies, and was fully capable of outdoing any of them. He had, in the past, already created a robot in Sonic's image, and a very strange doll thing in Miles' image (He was currently unaware of what he was thinking at the time). Making a robot with the echidna's likeness seemed like the next step, and the coin toss had decided that he would make a new robot instead of upgrading Metal Sonic.

This machine, Metal Knuckles, Robo Knuckles, or just M-E Mdl 001, was placed in the Reactive Factory to defend it, and was programmed with the factory in mind. It knew the layout to the dot, and was instantly made aware of any changes to the physical structure, assuring it always had the edge.

So, the question now is, why does it sit at the bottom of the reef, waiting for a new purpose? The Doctor still doesn't know why. His simulations can't tell him why. There is no answer for him. He might never know how the Mobians managed to destroy his favorite factory. But, if the Eggman couldn't get an answer, could the robot get one for himself? This was a strange question, as the machine appeared to be without will, without the thought to ask this question, so why would it want an answer? Does it even want one now? Or are we just making pointless conjectures?

Perhaps, perhaps not, to all of the questions. The Mobian world was governed by Chaos, a force that was as unfathomable as it was real. It kept the Doctor from his goals, yet helped him towards them. It granted miracles unto those willing, yet caused just as many catastrophes for them. Many times before, the endless Chaos ignored fallen lives, powers, and empty vessels like this Machine. What would make this time any different from all the rest? Or, perhaps, what didn't make this instance different from the rest? Nothing actually made it different in the grand scheme, so why would Chaos touch this machine?

One may ask you why it wouldn't. Without a good reason as to why not, Chaos decides it has plenty of reason to interfere.

At the bottom of the reef, the machine, beyond all reason, without any power from a realistic source, whirred to life. Chaos had started something, but it was determined not to finish it. It would leave this to the wind, to the chaos of nature, to the chaos of free will.

* * *

**Author's Note**

The Review window, do you see it? It's all shiny, and waiting for you to use it... There's not much to reveiw now, though, so I won't blame you if you don't. Setting up, exposition, the works. The goal of this chapter was to set up the rest of the story, and give the reader an idea to Eggman's character in the story. Still, I do hope I've caught your attention.

Sincerely,

UpontheThrone


	2. Chapter 2

Refer to chapter 1 for the Disclaimer.

* * *

At the bottom of the reef, well below the factory, the internal systems of M-E Mdl 001 came back on, one by one, and began scanning the machine itself, as well as the immediate area. The first thing the machine found was that there was reserve power that it now ran on, although the energy was in an unfamiliar form to the machine. The next thing its sensors detected was the damage and age on its frame. Its galvanized coating was ruined by the seawater, and the robot had rusted horribly. Luckily, the internal systems were mostly intact, although the inactivity caused the bulk of the memory banks to be deleted, so power spent on preserving them was put towards keeping the machine stable. The only "memories" maintained were ones that informed the machine of its loyalty to Doctor Robotnik, and its mission to guard the factory and eliminate the Mobians.

This was standard of Robotnik's robots. Loyalty above all else. If the power maintaining the loyalty was needed elsewhere, the machine was scrap for what Robotnik cared. The Doctor had one too many instances of some of his robots using the logic he had placed in them in abstract, yet correct ways, to do something that made perfect sense to the machine, but was counterproductive to the Eggman's goals. He would never build machines like E-103 Gamma or E-123 Omega again for this reason. Too much space for freedom.

Metal Knuckles was now putting its loyalty to use. It found that the factory was a ways above it, and its jet engine, though originally capable of underwater use, was ruined. It located the nearest support beam, and began making its way over so it could climb back up. Yet, in the moment it looked back up, to see how far away the surface was, something happened. An idea, a thought the machine could not have had, entered its artificial mind. This idea, or feeling as we know them to be, made the machine consider alternatives to trying to climb back up. Possibly contact the Doctor from here, get him to come retrieve him. However, its cold, mechanical logic immediately dismissed the plan, as it was impractical, and impossible. The robot was in charge of the factory, so it had to ensure the factory wasn't damaged. Then, regardless of the condition of the factory, it would contact the Doctor.

Being underwater and being made of metal didn't help its speed at all. It took a laboriously long time to reach the support beam, causing the machine to prepare final signals to be sent off to the nearest Robotnik facility, in the instance of the reserve power being insufficient. The robot reached the pillar, however, without incident. It ran simulations, and found the reserve power was at least enough to last until it reached the surface, though it would take the rest of the day to reach the surface.

The robot had spikes on its "knuckles" that served little purpose outside of combat when the machine was at optimal performance and form. As it was not currently in good shape, they were now makeshift climbing tools. Still, as the machine stood before the beam, it was again experiencing thoughts not befitting something of its existence. It felt as if it should turn away, and go back where it previously lay, and await true deactivation. Again, its logic didn't allow this. If it was in any conceivable way still useful to the Eggman, it would do everything it could to further the goal. So it began climbing the pillar.

Along the way, the movement of the soulless vessel stirred the local marine life, and the fish looked and swam around this machine. They watched its body rust and decay in the only way it could over the years. Like all the old wooden ships that had sunk, like all the glaciers that drifted about before melting, and like all the metal that had rusted, this robot had become part of the ocean. An indistinguishable feature of the coral reef. Yet, this machine had risen up, shaken off the coral, and made its way towards daylight that wouldn't be there when it reached the surface. In this moment, the ocean life accepted the machines ability, despite it not having a soul in the same way the Mobians did or true freedom. It survived something most anything else didn't. Or perhaps the fish swimming about and around the machine, creating a beautiful display that no one would ever see, were fascinated purely because it was different.

However, a single part of the ocean, a part that didn't belong in this reef, defied this thing. This mockery of life, it reasoned, was not worthy of a chance to leave. It had fallen to a watery grave, and deserved to stay, to rot away, and be forgotten. Or perhaps the shark had ended up in the reef purely by accident, and thought the larger thing climbing the pillar would make a better meal than the small things around it. Regardless, it swam in to make its assault, causing the other marine life to scatter.

The robot's sonar had detected the smaller fish, and determined they were no threat. Then, the radar picked up the larger life form heading towards it, and it turned to see a shark headed its way. The shark would be powerless against the machine if it was at optimal performance, but at the moment, it posed a threat. If it made contact, it could knock Metal Knuckles off the pillar, and while the shark would be unable of eating it, there was a chance that the robot's fragile frame couldn't handle the fall.

The robot pulled back one of its fists, and waited for the shark to come closer… once it was close enough, the machine swung its fist.

The attack was timed perfectly. The shark was hit square in the jaw, teeth knocked loose, blood flowing in the water like a red cloud. It swam away, defeated and in pain.

Metal Knuckles stopped to look at the blood in the water. Something about it gave the robot the urge to look away and continue up the pillar. The blood disgusted the robot, although at the time, this machine didn't know to put a word to the thought. It was simply going about its duties, and the shark could have interfered.

The machine reached the surface at sundown, emerging through a maintenance hatch, placed so the corresponding pillar could be repaired if need be. It was in an open area, made more open by the gaping hole in the ceiling. It looked about the area, to see nothing but ruin in every direction. It had failed its mission. Still, the machine was quick to recover, and it began searching about the ruins, to find a way to contact Robotnik, or information as to what happened. The advantage the machine still had was that it knew the basic layout. This had been placed high on the list of importance when Ivo created him, so it was retained.

The first place it came upon was the storage room. Boxes lay about, all ransacked. The former contents were destroyed, or missing. The robot found nothing of use here. It continued down a connected corridor, leading to more storage space, looking nearly identical to the previous room in design and ruin. This went along for three rooms more, until it reached a storage room that had an improvised sky light. The robot's best simulations estimated that an aerial vehicle had landed in here, crashing through the ceiling and above rooms. It looked over, and noted that they must have flown out through a wall that used to exist. As it left, it noted that the factory's AI had attempted to keep the intruders away from the ship once they had left it, though the intruders had opted to crash their way through the walls placed in the way.

Once Metal Knuckles left the storage area, it came upon the main processing chamber. From here, items produced by the factory were processed to storage, or to the docking bay for transport. This chamber was always filled with working robots, and computers processing data of which item went where. Now, it was littered with the remains of the same robots, and the computer terminals were either ruined, or offline due to lack of power. Something about the scene, whether it be dismembered robots, or the heads of these machines crushed under rubble, caused Metal Knuckles to leave quickly, hardly looking amongst the wreckage for useful items. The machine noted that eventually, it would need to cross the room to reach the docking bay, but it could do it later.

The next room was ruined beyond recognition, but the robot knew it to be the former assembly line. The Mobians must have been particularly keen on destroying this, based on its current state. The machines here were like parents, the robots they created like children. And now, this home was broken, ripped apart by outside forces. Of course, this machine didn't think this. It didn't feel this. But the room made the robot uneasy all the same.

The next place M-E came upon was outside the building, in the dark of the night. The main transit was here, with rails for the carts to move supplies between the three major buildings. It now looked like a ghost town, a once busy metropolis that had died and begun to wither away. One could see the moonlight rippling across the ocean, in a display that few were lucky to see on Mobius. A beauty lost to this machine.

Then, something happened. The machine began to think as if there was nothing around it except this factory, the halls of which were empty and lifeless. Beyond that, there was ocean for miles in every direction. The machine knew the word and definition, but again, didn't know to place the word to the thought, the feeling of isolation the robot should never have.

It decided to head to the main building, the one that housed the factory AI core. If it was still intact, it could inform Metal Knuckles of what happened, as well as recharge the dwindling amount of power it had. And perhaps make him feel less alone…

* * *

**Author's Note;**

Dat shark scene. It irked me when I wrote it, it irked me when I edited it, and it's gonna irk me forever. Part of me wants it there very badly, a small part of me is irked. The bigger part won out. Still, I maintain that I'm not trying to outdo Batman in Arkham City. This just took the logical conclusion. He has spikes on his knuckles. Another thing that irks me about it, is that it could maybe be taken out, and the chapter wouldn't be any different. But another part says that the disgust he felt when seeing the blood was important.

Blehh. I'm gonna stop arguing with myself.

Also, we have yet to understand what happened to the factory. I wanted to fit it in, but the chapter seemed done. That was too good a line to not end on.

Sincerely,

UpontheThrone


	3. Chapter 3

Refer to chapter two to be reffered back to chapter one for the Disclaimer.

* * *

The AI core of the Reactive Factory buzzed and whirred, making sounds that made you think it had trouble running. In truth, it did, and the random birds nesting on one of the consoles didn't help. They didn't really change anything, aside from the movements of the animals causing random commands to be input into the system. Commands such as "Find latest machine off the assembly line" or "Track the three most recent shipments out of the factory" and even "Rearrange the supply room's positions." Any Mobian would think this a form of purgatory, being forced to do things you could no longer do, or look for things that no longer existed. A special kind of damnation for the failed AI of the failed factory.

The AI didn't think this, as it couldn't. It didn't know irony, it didn't know annoyance, it didn't know insanity. If it did, it would have already succumbed. The only thing the AI thought, or determined, about the birds, and the random commands, was that they were a hindrance to whatever its current maximum performance level was. An obstacle. Nothing more.

But an obstacle to what? There was nothing left for this intelligence to accomplish on its own. It was no longer connected to the rest of the factory, not that there was much of a factory left to connect to. There were no robots to command, shipments to schedule, data to process and organize. The AI had nothing left to accomplish, as the one thing it was capable of accomplishing was snatched away, crushed, and placed back in front of it. The Mobians destroyed its body, and now it was nothing but a mind that couldn't leave the soil it stood on.

But the AI couldn't think this. It only thought of what could be done to reach its maximum potential, and what it could accomplish for the Doctor. A Doctor that it could no longer contact, and thus, the AI no longer could prove he was even alive. The creator of the factory was out of reach, yet the AI kept thinking that everything it did still benefited its master, the only thing the factory had that was close to a God.

The AI continued to sit, devising ways that the birds could be removed from the console, all of the scenarios involving chance events that had little chance of happening. Then, its limited sensors detected a machine, M-E Mdl 001, headed towards the entrance. It had blocked the entrance off when the Mobians found the place, keeping them away from it. The invaders would have smashed through, but seven separate ten inch thick steel doors were hard to break through on a good day. They decided to just ruin the rest of the factory.

The doors lowered, allowing the robot access to the chamber.

Metal Knuckles was well beyond relieved to find that the pillar that was the AI core was functional. Of course, this was a relief that didn't last, as the AI began probing the robots own internal systems with its sensors. This was an expected reaction to the machine's existence becoming known to the AI, and it wasn't exactly hard to do. The Intelligence and Metal Knuckles were connected, as part of the original idea behind the factory. It was the best way to ascertain that M-E was always aware of the changes made to the factory.

Something about it was strange to the robot, however, a feeling that another mind shouldn't be able to interfere in its own. This was dismissed. This was the way it was before. Nothing had changed, aside from the destruction of the factory.

Then, the AI used the speakers to begin communicating, "M-E Mdl 001. After two years of absence, this AI expected one of two scenarios: M-E Mdl 001 shut down from lack of power, or; The Mobians destroyed M-E Mdl 001. Continued existence of M-E Mdl 001 now being added to simulations…"

The robot said nothing, as it was unneeded. The AI and Metal Knuckles were connected. The AI was aware of the robot's need to recharge, its need for the memory banks to be refilled. It was fully aware of all of its needs. But first, it had to satisfy its constant need to run simulations.

The AI spoke again, "This AI requires the cyanocitta cristata on the eastern console are removed. The cyanocitta cristata are causing pointless commands to be input to the system. It is taxing this AI, and preventing optimal performance."

The robot looked over, and saw a nest of the aforementioned blue jays nested on the control console. The robot walked over and knocked the nest off, the birds flying off.

There were no eggs to break, and no hatchlings to be lost. But this was the third time this family of birds had to find a new place to nest. First some yellow fox kicks them out of the cockpit of a plane, then an egg-shaped man swatted them away from a window with his papers. Now, in this desolated factory, some robot wiped them away. They couldn't even catch a break in a place completely devoid of life.

"Simulation correct; the cyanocitta cristata have been removed. This AI has reached its current optimal performance level. The backup copy of M-E Mdl 001's memory files will be uploaded to the M-E Mdl 001 memory bank. In this time, the M-E Mdl 001 will enter the charging pod, and cease from all other functions. Starting upload in four seconds after M-E Mdl 001 has entered charge mode."

Metal Knuckles did as was necessary, and in four seconds on the dot, the upload began...

* * *

The sun shone on the Reactive Factory this morning, the towering structures glistening in its light, like shimmering blades attempting to pierce the sky.

The Mobians that looked upon it were disgusted.

This trio was sent to sabotage the factory. This group had never worked together before, but this was something they all had experience in. A mission that most of the Freedom Fighters had done countless times before. Still, this was the first time any of them had to go to a random location in the middle of the ocean.

The seaplane they were aboard, the _Wild Weaver_, sat atop the water, several miles away. The passengers looked out the door towards their target. They all knew what to do, in that they knew that no one had any clue as to how the place was constructed, so they had to do everything on the fly. This, however, was the specific specialty of these operatives. They were the best at what was referred to as "Improv-Sabotage"; second only to Sonic the Hedgehog, who was only so good because of his speed.

These three excelled at thinking on their feet, and adapting to the circumstances.

Antoine D'Coolette, a coyote, and son of the late General Armand D'Coolette. His father had taught his son everything he knew, and as a result, the tactical genius of Armand lived on. However, Antoine had a specific gift his father never did. An ability to think tactically at all times, and devise ingenious plans based on environments and conditions he had only just became aware of. Beyond his mental abilities, he wielded a cutlass that he was adept with, making him a valued combatant.

French the Rabbit, husband to Vanilla Rabbit, and father of Cream and Bunnie Rabbit (Although the later now preferred being called "Bunnie Rabbot" on account of having a mechanical left arm and legs). He was swift, and strong. His feet were capable kicking the heads off Eggman's robots, and propelling him to great heights. Why was he with this group? Two reasons. For the first reason, he had a strange ability. He would often become aware of when the enemy was attempting to trap or trick them. And could also tell you if it was safe around the next corner. Some said he was a psychic who shunned his true nature, and used his gift to help on the field of combat. French referred to his "Curious ability" as his gut feeling. Something he swears his Grand pappy told him about. The second reason he was on the team, was to ensure Antoine's return home, a promise he made to his elder daughter, Bunnie. The two were engaged, and French wouldn't let his daughter's future be crushed by some random sabotage mission.

The third member of the team, was a curious weasel. Some called him Nack, others called him Fang the Sniper. He was a bounty hunter who hardly worked with the Freedom Fighters, opting to live his chaotic life however he saw fit. While what he was known best for was bounty hunting, Nack was a weasel of all trades. Last week, he was an architect. Three days before that, a black smith. And, the night before this, he worked as a bartender. Some called him a fool, as he had to ability to land any job he wanted, but just kept jumping around, not staying in one place. Some called him a genius, for always living in the moment and experiencing life in a way no one else did. Some called him an Agent of Chaos, but that's another story.

So why was he assisting the Mobians today? Not that he wouldn't have done it on his own, just to see what it was like, but, this was a special case. His sister, Nicolette, was incarcerated in a Mobian jail, and Sally Acorn, the acting leader of Mobotropolis, decided that it would be just grand to have him bail her out by helping on this mission. His numerous skills could come in handy, she said. Nack wanted to tell the Princess what she could do with her "Handy," but he would do so when his sister was off the hook.

There was a fourth, although he was piloting the plane, so records would list him as the "Necessary Amenity" of this mission. His name was Rotor the Walrus, a somewhat heavyset fellow who was a master navigator, and technician. He helped the Freedom Fighters in the early days, providing them with what he called "Nifty little toys and gadgets." Why was he assisting on this mission? The Mobian that would have piloted the plane called in sick the morning they were to take off, and Rotor had been standing there, right next to the plane, and conveniently talking to one of his friends about his time as a pilot before Robotnik invaded. All else that happened involved Antoine, French, and Nack pulling him aboard the _Wild Weaver_, convincing him to be their pilot with promises of returning the favor, or "Doing him a solid." These young people and their phrases. Rotor was certain a "solid" was akin to a favor, but he didn't like the idea of them pulling something on him in the near future.

Speaking of young people, the three were going over what little bit of a plan they had.

"We swim over with the scuba gear, infiltrate the factory, and use these timed explosives to blow the place sky high." French said. "Any questions?"

Nack raised his hand, "Yeah, just one."

"Oui, misseur Nack?" Antoine, the Frenchman he was.

"Right. So, your name is French," He pointed his Pop gun at French, "But he's the one with an accent?" And then pointed it at Antoine.

French sighed. He was tired of the weasel already. "Yes Nack, that is in fact how it is. This being the seventh time you've asked, I should hope you understand now."

"All I'm saying is that you two should get your names legally switched. Make life a little simpler. Heck, give me a week, I'll land a spot as a judge, and do the switch for you guys!"

"Non, misseur. Ma name was given to ma by ma parentz, the zame name held by ma grandfathair Antoine D'Coolette tha fairst. I would be un tromper to part with it."

Nack and French had suited up while Antoine spoke, and Nack said, "That some kind of tramp, frenchie?"

Before Antoine could strangle him, Nack jumped into the ocean, and began making his way to the factory.

French patted Antoine's shoulder. "Relax, Antoine. Just focus on the mission. Then, once we're back in New Mobotropolis, we'll strangle him together."

"Oui, misseur French. One muzt be pasheent. We weel 'ave our chanze."

Rotor stood up from the pilot's seat, and walked over to the two. Despite his age, he was still intimidating. His size was not due to weight issues, but more a simple matter of nature. Nature deciding to make him a pillar of strength. He stood over French and Antoine, eyeing them.

Then, Rotor said, "You realize you've let that weasel start headed towards the factory without you, correct? If something happens to him without the both of you there, Princess Sally will give you more trouble than you can handle. Are you prepared to be considered fully responsible for the injury or death of another Mobian?"

He didn't need to say anything else, as they were already geared up, and off into the ocean to catch up with Nack.

The trio reached the factory a short time after, climbing up onto what appeared to be a harbor. They removed their suits, leaving them on the docks.

"Well," French said, "this is a mighty strange looking place. I'm not the only one who sees that the rails for the carts swerve and loop, right?"

Antoine nodded, saying, "Oui, mon ami. And the walkwaiz, they are liteered wif zlopes und rampz."

"Well, with you guys mentioning the obvious, I'll tell you something you haven't noticed yet. There's an eye starring at us from the wall."

French and Antoine looked where Nack's focus was fixed, and found this to be true. A red, mechanical eye stared at them from the wall. Seconds passed, as the Mobians waited for reinforcements to arrive. Then, something they didn't expect happened.

"Designation; Mobians. State your business."

This voice came from all around them. It wasn't the speakers of some small worker drone. It appeared to come from the walls themselves.

"Designation; Mobians. State your business immediately, or suffer the consequences."

Nack adjusted his hat, then stepped closer to the eye. He leered at it. Then smirked at it. And then, threw in a grimace for good measure.

"Nope, my plan isn't working. The thing won't flinch. You guys try something." Nack then walked back over to the group, and began messing with his weapon.

French sighed. He didn't like this weasel. He looked back at the eye, and said, "No point in sugarcoating anything. We're here to wreck the place. Unluckily, you just so happened to be here. Too bad it isn't gonna help all the bolt buckets in this joint."

The, what still seemed to be the walls, said, "Error in Mobian's logic. Luck did not affect this scenario. This unit is the AI of the Reactive Factory. This AI is aware of all that happens within the factory. The Mobians will be unable to sabotage this facility."

French said, "Yeah, just like every other base Eggman had that said that to my face. If you'll allow, we would like to move on. Got a job to do."

"The Mobians insist that they will sabotage the facility. Very well. The Mobians may attempt. This AI will allow the Mobians this knowledge; Every part of this facility is designed to fight against the Mobians."

Nack tipped his fedora, then said, "Even the walls?"

"Affirmative. The walls are designed to repel the Mobians."

"How about the floors?"

"Affirmative. The floors are designed –"

"And how about them ceiling fans?"

"This AI will cease communications with the Mobians. This AI will await your roboticization, or the arrival of your bodies to the Bio-Research wings."

"What about the refrigerators?"

The eye disappeared into the wall.

"Well, try to carry on a decent conversation, and the fellah just leaves. Let's get to blowing the place up."

With that, the trio ran into the factory, certain it was nothing they couldn't handle.

* * *

The trio had found the factory more than they could handle. Every time they tried to retrace their steps, they found a wall in their way. When they returned to a room they had been in a moment ago, the layout was changed completely.

But worst of all was their pursuer. This thing ran, flew, and powered its way through the factory in chase. And anytime they were certain an alteration to the layout of the factory had blocked it off, it found its way right back on the trail.

"Come on!" French called to the two behind him, "This way! We got to lose that thing."

They ran into what appeared to be the assembly line. Granted, with the way this place worked, it could of just been a façade.

Nack motioned for the group to stop, and said, "Wait a minute. Why we running? We can take that red hunk of bolts! And lookie here! See those robots fresh off the shelves? This is the perfect place to set up the rest of the explosives!"

"A gud poeent, misseur Nack. Wif tha rezt uf tha explozeeves armed, weh shuld prepare tha othairs." Antoine's voice was hurried, he was still worried about that robot on their trail.

"Let's do this efficiently then." French began, "Antoine, you'll set these things up. Me and Nack will hold off tall and ugly."

Antoine had only just ran off to set up the bombs, when the robot flew in the room, landing just inside the entrance. This was the first time they got a good look at it. It was made to resemble Knuckles. This explained a lot to French, as the thing was very strong, being able to knock him away with what appeared to be a lazy blow. French rubbed his sore back, the memory reviving the pain.

The machine voiced something, "Targets trapped. Commencing elimination." This robot had a simple, monotone "voice." It did not speak to them. In all of its speech, the Mobians were treated as if they weren't really there. Ironic, considering that they were his goal. It jetted forward, towards Nack.

Nack used his tail to spring himself into the air, and fired a shot from his Pop gun at the robot.

The shots, while nonlethal, were capable of knocking people out. Normally, that is. As Nack was aware of the fact that they would be fighting robots on this day, he swapped out his rounds for the more lethal ones. Rounds that could effectively damage a machine.

Too bad this machine was fast. It swerved to the left, dodging the blast, and continued on its way toward Nack.

"Not today tin man!" French kicked the robot aside, sending it into a wall.

French looked back towards Antoine. He was still setting up the explosives. They needed to buy more time.

The machine stood itself back up. It stared at French for a moment. Then, "Proper physical data acquired. Lower body strength now accounted for." It rushed towards them again.

Antoine was fumbling with the explosives. Would you blame him? He was under pressure to hurry up, as his teammates were fighting what appeared to be a losing battle. Fumbling with these high grade explosives was dangerous beyond compare, but he couldn't help it. Despite his tactical ability, he was easily frightened. He looked up from where he placed the latest bomb, and saw the robot pummeling French. Its armor was too strong to damage easily, and while Nack's Pop gun was denting the head, it made little difference.

Antoine got a crazy idea.

"Misseur medal Heed!" Antoine stood on top of one of the machines along an assembly line.

The robot punched Nack in the gut, and then looked towards Antoine. It saw the bag in his hand.

"Ah'm zertain misseur mahzheene realizez what eez een thees bag."

The machine was fully aware. With the knowledge that the bag was filled with bombs, Antoine became its priority target.

Antoine jumped off the machine, and started running along the assembly line, hiding behind the occasional robot chassis, and blocking his pursuer.

French helped Nack up. He had been stabbed by one of the spikes on the robot's fist, and was making a bit of a mess. French wasn't certain what exactly to do about it.

"Here," Nack said, handing his belt over to the rabbit, "Use that, put some pressure on the wound. Your French friend is rather clever."

French tightened the belt, complete with Nack wincing in pain, and said, "You sure? Now he has that killer robot after him."

"But he figured out its limit. It is guarding the factory. It can't damage it, or the robots inside. 'Toine can hide behind the parts, the computers, and use those other robots running around as shields. The red thing can't harm any of it."

French only now noticed the other robots in the room, and the fact that several were headed their way, armed with power drills and buzz saws.

"We need to move, Nack. You're in no condition to defend yourself anymore."

"This bites. I'm the one with experience as a doctor, and I'm the one that gets injured. Like the chief of surgery said, can't really operate on ourselves, now can we?"

French ignored him, and helped him up and towards the doorway. He looked back at Antoine before heading into the next room.

"Non worry about moi, mon ami! I weel joeen you in a momeent!"

At that, French ran off, supporting Nack.

Antoine ran behind another machine, stopping Knuckle's doppelganger once again. And then, Antoine cried. He jumped up, and tossed the bag off.

The robot hurried over to the bag, having no other desire now than to disarm the explosives.

Antoine's tears stained his outfit. Then, he said, "I fear for mah life. Eef I zurvive, then I weel come home to you. Eef not, then forgive me, mon amour Bunnie." He looked at the device in his hand, the one that would allow him to bypass the timer on the explosives, and set them off immediately. Antoine began repelling the smaller robots around him. They were nothing compared to Metal Knuckles, and his cutlass handled them easily. Once they were gone, he waited several moments longer, waiting for the robot to have the bag in hand, and hopefully giving Nack and French enough time to get to the _Wild Weaver_. Once he felt that enough time had passed, he stood straight, and saluted his father that would have reprimanded the idea, yet commended his bravery.

He hit the button.

* * *

French looked at the ruined factory. He was still crying. And it was unlikely he would ever stop. He promised his daughter. And he failed.

After they left the assembly line, they contacted Rotor to find a good extraction point. They told him about how the factory kept changing itself, making Rotor's job harder.

Rotor's response was to crash into a storage room from the roof.

The AI attempted to trap him by placing a wall in the way. Rotor broke the wall down with some of the supplies in the room. As he told them then, "Force is sometimes the best answer."

After that, they began waiting for Antoine. Then the factory started blowing up.

They were now flying away, heading back to inform the people what happened.

French would be back. He had to find Antoine. He at least had to try.

Nack looked at French, and said, "Hey, rabbit. Once this hole in my gut is filled in, I'll help you look for the kid. He saved my hide, and I owe it to him."

French forced a smile at the offer. "Alright." That was all he could say. He looked at the factory in the distance, watching the last fire die out.

* * *

**Author's Note  
**

This feels like it took longer to write than it should have. I was having issues with Antoine's accent, though. That being the major thing. Special thanks to PurrfectChaosInfinity for the accent assistance.

The other thing being introducing French. AKA the OC rabbit. That's right, ladies and gents, I decided to put a name to Cream's father, and Vanilla's husband. Why French, you ask? Rule of punny, my friend. French Vanilla, French Cream...

And Antoine. Yeah. He might be dead. I like the character, don't get me wrong. This is just for the same reason Bunnie is now a member of the Rabbit family. Things will get deliciously evil later on. Rule of drama.

This chapter is also longer than the first two put together. Imagine that.

Sincerely,

UpontheThrone


	4. Chapter 4

Refer to the previous chapter to be reffered to the previous chapter to be reffered back to the Disclaimer at Chapter one.

* * *

Metal Knuckles' systems came back online. The upload had completed an hour ago, and the rest of this time was spent charging his abused battery.

"M-E Mdl 001 battery is now fully charged. Projected battery life; two to three years. Higher functions than are normal for M-E Mdl 001 will shorten the battery life. M-E Mdl 001 is now at its current optimal performance level. Simulations now being run…"

The robot stepped out of the charging pod. The room housing the AI core hadn't changed. Why would it? This place had died. There was no change left to be had aside from continued decay. The only change that could be argued was the hole in the ceiling. It was where the birds had entered, and left. It seemed bigger now, rubble laying on the floor far below it. At the right time of day, it would let in rays of sunlight. The room remained as dark as it did a few hours ago.

The same starry night framed the sky. Only now, it was clearer. Metal Knuckles didn't know why it continued to stare at the stars. Its logic processor failed to come up with a good reason. There was no way for it to do so, however. Why did random people stare at the night sky? Perhaps they would tell you that it looked beautiful to them. Perhaps they said they were trying to pick out the constellations everyone keeps talking about. Perhaps they had no reason. Do they ever really need one? To ask someone why they starred at the same thing you stare at would be foolish, if you didn't have an answer yourself.

A single star shot across the sky in a green streak. The robot was surprised to see it. There was a ritual Mobians performed when they saw one. They would ask, no one in particular mind you, for things they desired. Or wish. Whatever term you prefer. The machine was unable to understand why the Mobians did this. It seemed foolish to wish for what you wanted.

But what did this robot know about foolish?

"New goal has been prepared for M-E Mdl 001."

The machine turned to face the AI core once more.

"This AI's suggested course of action is to locate the chamber housing the repair drones. This AI directed to repair drones to enter charge mode upon the Mobians' appearance. Reactivation of any functional repair drones will allow M-E Mdl 001 and any reparable parts of the facility to reach higher levels of operation. In turn, this AI will reach a higher optimal performance level. M-E Mdl 001 is dismissed."

Metal Knuckles headed out the doorway. It knew the chamber that would be holding inactive units. It was just a matter of luck at this point. From what it could now recall, the Mobians hadn't entered that room. Still, several times, they had been able to shake the robot off their trail. For what the robot or the AI knew, the room was slag now.

The robot had nothing left to it but a hope that it was unsure was real. The AI, in comparison, had nothing. It couldn't hope when it didn't know what hope was.

The AI closed the doors as Metal Knuckles left. Once the robot was out of the range of the core's sensors, it began running new simulations on the abnormal processes that were occurring in the M-E Mdl 001. These alterations to its logic were of little worry now. The machine was still railroaded to the Doctor's will. But the AI would run simulations, to see if these "emotions" that began to develop could become an issue in the future. A way out of its servitude.

The possibility of replacing the logic processor became a little more of a necessity now. Once the AI knew the threat level…

* * *

The various charging chambers had been ruined. Obviously, the invaders had enough of an opportunity to leave some of their explosives here. The walls between the first three chambers had been blown apart, and all of the pods had been destroyed. There were several other chambers beyond, but with this streak of bad luck, it was unlikely there was any operable units.

The next chamber wasn't as decimated, but the charging pods had been destroyed, along with the adjoining robots. Small bits of their remains lay about. Metal Knuckles grew uneasy looking at bits of hard drives and processer components. It went to the next room quickly.

This room was in remarkably better condition than the other rooms. However, the robots were all removed from the charging pods, damaged beyond repair. It seemed the Mobians wanted to prevent using any more explosives in this area.

Metal Knuckles found itself losing focus. Its logic brought itself back to its objective in an instant. It had to check this room thoroughly for any operable repair units.

It scanned the robot nearest to it. Deactivation caused by severing of its head. The next, deactivation caused by the abdomen being crushed. A few more were still standing in their pods, their deactivation caused by the mainframe in the head being blown out with a ballistic weapon.

Metal Knuckles started stumbling. It grabbed a computer console to steady itself. Once everything stopped spinning, it stood, and started walking again. It came across another… it couldn't tell what caused its deactivation, as it was torn to pieces.

The robot felt the need to run. And it did, moving around the remains, and heading further, trying to finish its mission quickly. It tripped over a cable, and hit the ground front first. Metal Knuckles got back up, parts of its rusted armor falling off. It stared at the rusted metal, uncertain what was happening.

Imagine watching a part of your body just, fall off. From falling down a few feet. Can you imagine? A similar horror coursed through this machine. A feeling that it was running out of time.

It ran once again, no longer checking for operable units. It stopped, when its logic told it that this was abnormal conduct. It stood, its systems checking everything, looking for the anomaly. It found nothing. It labeled the event as abnormal conduct, and stored the file away.

It returned to its duty, although now it was avoiding scanning units that were obviously inoperable. This saved little time, as most units were not so obviously ruined. After checking several more pods, the hope the machine had started to fade. There were no usable repair units. The robot was doomed to fall apart, it seemed.

It kept on. There were two pods more.

The hope rekindled. These two were struck with a ballistic weapon, but no important systems were damaged. They were fully operational. It scanned them… One was off. The power was there. It just needed to be turned on. The other, however, needed a new battery. The old one was destroyed, but that was all the damage.

Metal Knuckles opened the pod manually, and pulled the repair drone out, setting it down. It turned the drone over, and opened the back panel. After manipulating the inner workings, the drone started whirring back to life. Metal Knuckles closed the panel, and stood it up.

The drone turned to Metal Knuckles. "Repair Drone Mdl 097 ready to receive commands." This drone had dull green and silver plating. Its hands had long, spindly fingers. It had no "neck," the head just resting atop the "shoulders."

Metal Knuckles was going to tell the drone to return with it to the AI core, but something kept it from doing so. It looked at its hands. They were rusted, parts of it falling off. It had its duties, but it was afraid. Without reason for a machine to be so, it was afraid.

"M-E Mdl 001 is in need of re-re-repair. Its armor is rusted, and seg-seg-segments of the mainframe are in need of re-re-repair." Metal Knuckles was shocked to hear its voice. That needed repair as well.

"Current objective confirmed. Repair Drone Mdl 097 is to repair M-E Mdl 001."

The drone ran off, and Metal Knuckles followed. The drone stopped at a wall, and after fidgeting with latches, a table came down from it.

"It is requested that M-E Mdl 001 places the unit on this table, and that M-E Mdl 001 shuts down. Repairs will commence afterwards."

Metal Knuckles got on the table, laying itself out. It was, once again, afraid. Afraid that it wouldn't reactivate. But it pushed that aside, willing to take the risk, so that it wouldn't be falling apart anymore.

But what did this machine know about taking risks?

Metal Knuckles shut down…

* * *

**Author's Note  
**

This feels like it took a massively longer amount of time than it should have. It probably did, really. Blame my increased forum activity.

But the other big thing about this chapter was having robots communicate with each other. That got hard to write. I hope I did well with it...

The action will pick up eventually. I swear. I just need a few chapters to set it up.

Sincerely,

UpontheThrone


End file.
